Introduction and objective:Viral hepatitis C remains one of the major health and social problems related to infectious diseases in Poland. The aim of the study was assessment of the registered changes in the incidence of HCV in the Silesian Province of western Poland during the last 10 years, including age, gender and place of residence.

Material and Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the HCV incidence between 2005–2014 in the Silesian Province. The crude and standardized incidence rates were calculated for males and females in each year. Subsequently, the territorial diversity of the epidemiological situation in the districts was assessed by calculating the average incidence rate over the entire study period.

Results:Incidence rates calculated according to the case definition of 2005 ranged between 5.95/100000 in 2005 to 10.36/100000 in 2014. Analysis of the structure of the incidence showed that during the analyzed period, the majority of hepatitis C cases were related to males (52.5%) rather than females (47.5%), and hepatitis C was more prevalent in younger males (aged 20–49) and older females (aged over 50). After excluding the effect of age, the standardized rates were twice as low, compared to the crude incidence rates.

Conclusions:An increase in the HCV incidence rate was observed in males and females. It is obvious that the detection of additional cases will entail the need to provide funding for the treatment of more patients, which should be included in the map of regional health needs in the coming years. Our study demonstrates the temporal and spatial variability of HCV incidence in the Silesian Province of Poland. The observed increase in the crude and standardized rates suggests that the current registry system of HCV in Poland is more effective now. The current situation is comparable with the data in other EU countries.

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